Owing to the fact that concrete can be molded into any desired shape, it is particularly desirable for this purpose. Some people like steps with a low rise and a particularly wide tread, while others prefer a high rise and narrow tread. Concrete can easily be fitted to either. The determining feature is usually the space to be occupied. The door into the cellar limits the depth to which the steps are taken, and therefore the height of the risers; while the room the cellarway is to take outside the line of the wall determines the width of the tread. If possible, the rise of each step should be from 6 to 8 inches, while the width of the tread should be from 9 to 12 inches.
Note: [See page 112] for Window Hatchway.
In erecting, first excavate the hole to the width of steps desired, plus one foot. This allows for a 6-inch wall on either side. Slope the ground from 1 foot back of where the top step is to come to 1 foot back of where the bottom step will be. To form the steps, saw out a board just as you would a “horse” for steps, and nail planks where the risers come, holding the two “horses” the proper distance apart. This is placed upside down, resting on the top and bottom, with the edge of the top and bottom rise where the bottom and top steps are to come. Fill this form and the space back of it with 1: 2: 4 concrete, starting with the bottom step, and continuing upward to the top, bringing the concrete in each step to the top of rise. Side forms for the 6-inch walls may now be placed, braced apart in the center properly, and resting on the back of the horses. These can be carried to any height desired to give the hatchway doors a proper slope for shedding rain and snow. Forms will have to be built on the outside of these walls above the ground line to hold the concrete in place. Before the concrete sets in the side walls, bolts should be placed, with heads in the concrete, by means of which wooden sills are fixed to the walls for fastening the cellar doors by strap hinges. If the bottom step does not come to the wall line, the flat landing in the bottom should be covered with a 5-inch thickness of concrete. Here is a convenient place to locate a drain, to carry off the water used in sluicing down the steps, and any which may leak through the cellar doors.
The cellar hatchway shown in the [photograph] and in the [drawing] is 5 feet wide, built according to directions above. The side walls at the cellar are 7 feet high and 10 feet long. The slope for the cellar doors is 2 feet 4 inches. There are 7 steps of 8-inch rise and 10-inch tread and a landing 3 feet 2 inches wide. Two men built this hatchway in 1½ days.
| Materials Required | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crushed rock or screened gravel | 2¼ cubic yards at $1.10 | $2.48 |
| Sand | 1⅛ cubic yards at $1.00 | 1.13 |
| Portland cement | 3¾ barrels at $2.50 | 9.37 |
| $12.98 | ||
Root Cellars of Concrete
The increasing use of roots, as winter feed for animals, has brought about the construction of root cellars as a means of preserving this valuable food. A root cellar must be sufficiently warm and dry to keep roots from freezing or rotting. By building the cellar below ground the warmth is greatly increased. To do this, however, a material must be employed which is moisture-proof and which will not rot. For these reasons use concrete.